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Investigating Consumer Based Brand Equity in Europe

Posted on 21 Oct 2009

University of Birmingham has recently been awarded an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) grant to investigate the measurement of consumer based brand equity and to use the results to improve managerial practice.

Dr. George Christodoulides, from the University’s Business School is the principal investigator of this study that involves collecting data from the UK, Germany, and Greece to develop and validate a measure of consumer based brand equity specific to Europe. The project includes collaboration with academics affiliated with the University of Glasgow (UK), Università della Svizzera italiana (Switzerland), Aston Business School (UK), and University of Bremen (Germany).

Brand equity is a key brand performance metric which reflects the added value endowed by the brand to the product. Customers and firms are usually the recipients of this value.

Over the past decade, brand equity has become more important as the key to understanding the objectives, the mechanisms and net impact of marketing, but there has been limited research on the concept in a European context.

Dr. Christodoulides explains: “Existing studies are mostly based on the approaches suggested by researchers in the USA, with limited - if any - cultural adaptations. Therefore, a large scale study which will explore the views of Europeans in developing an instrument that is valid in the European context is desirable.”

To investigate the issue thoroughly, both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected in the three European countries - UK, Germany and Greece.

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For further information, contact: Anietie Isong, International Press Officer, University of Birmingham. Tel: 01214147863. E-mail: a.isong@bham.ac.uk